Weekend Trips to Vancouver

Located in British Columbia and a 2.5-hour drive from Seattle, Vancouver is like a Canadian Seattle; it is rainy and dreary most of the year but has the most beautiful summers with sunshine and lush flora. They have a public market near the waterfront just like Seattle! Don’t forget to pack Canadian dollars or aim to use a credit card with low or no foreign transaction fee. Below items are not in any particular order.

What to Do

Inside this public market is a bunch of fruits, vegetables, chocolates, sweets, gourmet foods, snacks, and gifts! Plus a food court.

2. Stanley Park: Bike around this park for amazing greenery and seascapes. Breathe that great Canadian air! You can drive around and through it too but it’s not as good as biking it. Check out the hollow tree, fish house, totem poles, and lighthouse. There is a restaurant called Teahouse in Stanley Park; stop by! I heard it’s worth a trip.

4. Richmond Night Market: It’s not like Taiwan night markets it’s imitating but it’s the closest you’re gonna get in North America. Pay the fee (which real night markets don’t have) and get some Asian snacks and toys.

Richmond Night Market

Items sold at the Market

5. A-maze-ing Laughter: A 2009 bronze sculpture by Yue Minjun, located in Morton Park along the English Bay in West End, Vancouver, is composed of 14 statues each about three metres tall and weighing over 250 kilograms; the sculpture portrays the artist’s own image “in a state of hysterical laughter.”

Getting There from Seattle

If you’re driving from Seattle, remember to your passport and you can check the current and forecasted Customs wait times here: Canadian Border Wait Times (use Douglas/Peace Arch) and US Border Wait Times (use Blaine if you’re on I-5). If you’re taking I-5 straight up, the easiest the Douglas (Peace Arch) Surrey, BC/Blaine, WA entry point.

Hi, I'm JoYo. I moved to Seattle 7 years ago for mgmt consulting w/ 100% travel from NorCal. Then, I shifted into CorpDev at an e-retailer where I ran its int'l operations and tech product roadmap for 3 yrs before becoming a technical product manager. I love traveling and these are my photos.